


All I See Is You (In Neoprene)

by jongnugget, Kairousels



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Comedy, Dolphin Trainer, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Zoo Caretaker au, and kyungsoo thirsting, jongin in neoprene and swim trunks yessssss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-09-25 01:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20368195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jongnugget/pseuds/jongnugget, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairousels/pseuds/Kairousels
Summary: When Kyungsoo got a job in the local zoo, he never thought he'd develop such a deep interest in marine biology- more specifically dolphins and a particular trainer with the prettiest smile.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We decided to get together and write this cute fluffy fic. Summer is still here and we're here with the happy vibes~ We hope you join us for a dose of softness and fluffiness (and thirst)

Saturdays are always stressful. 

  
Saturdays mean family visits and birthday parties. 

  
Saturdays mean whining, screaming children and their parents coming and going, crowding the gift shop and in the end leaving without buying absolutely anything.

  
Saturdays mean organized groups stopping by the gift shop as their last stop in the zoo tour.

  
Saturdays mean Kyungsoo has to constantly use his customer service façade, which always results with sore facial muscles from all the fake smiling. 

  
He still remembers his first day at this job. 

A beautiful morning on a peaceful Wednesday, only a handful of people visiting the zoo during his shift, while the other cashier – a sweet girl named Wendy – showed him around the gift shop and filled him in on his duties. 

  
He remembers how glad he had been to have gotten such an easy and simple job – all he had to do really was sit around and wait for someone to enter the gift shop. Maybe renew the pamphlets once in a while. If Minseok asked him to, that is. 

  
He remembers how he first met Sehun and Baekhyun – two of the tour guides in the zoo – how they barged into the gift shop, a very loud ‘ _ NO, MINE’S BIGGER _ ’, followed by a scoff and a ‘ _ you wish’. _

_  
_He remembers how the shorter of the two had turned around, slapping Sehun’s shoulder at the same time.

  
‘ _ See, you’re scaring the new kid _ ,’ he had said, offering his hand for a handshake. ‘ _ I’m Baekhyun, nice to meet you. And just to clarify, we’re talking about our tour groups, not our dicks.’ _

  
True to their profession, the two had slowly (or not so slowly) introduced him to just about everybody else who came and went from the zoo while they were working together. 

  
There was Chanyeol (or Nick, as Baekhyun had first introduced him as. ‘ _ Unhealthy Zootopia obsession. Don’t ask. _’, had been Sehun’s only input on the situation) – an exceptionally tall man in charge of the reptiles. 

  
And then there was Jongdae who took care of the big cats, someone who always carries himself loudly and with a big smile. He likes talking about the little newborn cubs as if they were his own children, and he likes spending a lot of time in the gift shop. Kyungsoo doesn’t mind.

Much. 

  
Suho is a very sweet guy with a knack for bad jokes, responsible for the bears and he is often seen walking around with Yixing, a guy just as sweet, who takes care of the giraffes. He always seems to have hay sticking out of his hair or clothes, but Kyungsoo kind of finds it endearing. 

  
He still recalls meeting them all on his very first day, being greeted and welcomed warmly by everybody. He remembers thinking this was going to be a fun, carefree summer with an easy job that would help him save up some money. 

  
And boy had he been wrong. 

  
Because summer means no school. 

Summer means visitors all day long. 

  
And Saturdays… Saturdays are the absolute worst. 

  
Kyungsoo can’t help the sigh leaving his lips at the sight of some kid ruining the beautiful stuffed animal pyramid he painstakingly made earlier that morning. He does his best to stare at only the one kid and not turn around to inspect the rest of the shop. He tries not to even _ think _about the other displays currently being destroyed around him.

  
Not even noon yet and he already has a headache. 

  
He _ hates _Saturdays. 

  
He throws a quick look towards the clock.

_ You can do it, _ he mentally chants to himself, _ just ten more minutes until lunch break. _

_  
_He startles at the sound of something breaking – the unmistakable sound of a cup colliding with the floor, followed by an angry mother’s snarl and the whining of a kid.

  
_ Great. _

  
Another day, another broken souvenir. Now he has to clean that up. 

  
Kyungsoo straightens up behind the desk when the mother approaches the counter, dragging the criminal in question by his tiny hand. He can already see her pulling out her wallet with an apologetic glint in her eyes. At least this one’s being nice about it, he thinks to himself as he forces the smile on his face yet again. 

  
Just ten more minutes.  
  
The mother takes the broken cup and luckily drags her child out of the store, scolding them harshly. At least Kyungsoo didn’t have to deal with that too long.

He grabs the small broom behind the register and slowly makes his way over to where the cup had fallen. He sweeps up a few shards and tries to straighten up the display as best as he can. 

Glancing around the store, he sees a few people and their children lingering around, but luckily it’s not too many. His eyes look to the front doors of the store, the bright sunlight filtering in making the sound of impending freedom ring in his ears. 

Five more minutes.

The final countdown.

He’s just about to throw away the broken shards in the dustpan, when something outside the gift shop catches his attention.

Or rather- _ someone. _

There, walking right by the gift shop doors, is a man dressed in a wetsuit with beautifully sunkissed skin. It cut off at the man’s elbows and knees, the black material looking a little damp in the afternoon sun. His honey-brown hair is towel-dried and messy, but he has such a sweet and content smile on his face as he makes his way to where Kyungsoo assumes the food trucks are.

Kyungsoo melts, eyes taking in the other man’s silhouette as he walks out of sight.

Jongin is probably the closest thing to a four-course meal in human form that Kyungsoo has ever come across. He’s incredibly sweet, having talked to Kyungsoo during their lunch break on his first day taking care of the gift shop and even told him if he ever needed anything to just let him know. 

Kyungsoo would love to have talked to him more often, but they rarely cross paths these days.

Jongin is in charge of taking care of the marine life here at the zoo. He mainly does shows with the dolphins and educates everyone about the wonders of the ocean. Kyungsoo doesn’t really have enough time during his break to even think about walking all the way over to where Jongin works, so seeing him is kind of impossible.

There are off chances, like today, where Kyungsoo is able to catch a fleeting glance of the other man in all of his neoprene glory, but it’s rare.

Doesn’t keep Kyungsoo from internally drooling at the sight every time. He’ll take what he can get, he supposes. 

He _ could _probably come on his days off to see one of the shows and maybe talk to Jongin a little more, but he’s not ready to be a stupid stuttering mess in front of the other man.

Kyungsoo sighs, turning around and nearly having an outright heart attack when he sees Baekhyun’s smug face right in front of his.

“You were totally looking at his ass.”

Kyungsoo grumbles, sidestepping the tour guide and going over to the trash can. Sehun waves at him, leaning against the register.

“When did you two even come in here?” Kyungsoo squints. He couldn’t have been staring at Jongin that hard right?

Sehun snickers. “When you were drooling over dolphin boy.”

Baekhyun grabs a tissue from behind the counter. “Here, wipe your mouth.”

Kyungsoo shoves his hand away, shaking his head as he cleans up the register. “Go away. The both of you.”

“But who else will scare away all of your customers so you can go to lunch?”

Sehun waves at the little kid that walks by him as their mother and father lead them out of the store. “I think Kyungsoo’s death glare right now is enough to scare anyone away.”

Kyungsoo glares at Sehun. “I’m not that scary.”

“You are when Baekhyun is around.” Baekhyun laughs and Kyungsoo can’t help but to agree.

He looks at the time, relieved when he sees it’s time for his break.

Baekhyun and Sehun do their best to help him inform customers the gift shop is closing for an hour, most of them leaving right away. It doesn’t take too long, luckily, and Kyungsoo is very much relieved when he flips the ‘OPEN’ sign on the front door to ‘CLOSED’. 

The three leave out the employee exit, heading over to the designated eating areas for employees.

“So,” Baekhyun bumps Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “You didn’t even try to counter my comment earlier. You were staring at his ass.”

“That’s because I don’t like humoring you.”

“Or it’s because there’s really not much of an ass to stare at.” Baekhyun jesters to Sehun, who is messing around on his phone as they all walk. “Then again, no one can compare to Oh Sehun over here.”

Sehun gives a peace sign, not even looking up at them. Kyungsoo sighs for the millionth time today. 

He tries not to mind the traitorous heat in his cheeks.

  
~  


There are hot dogs and hamburgers on the menu today, just like about every other day. 

Kyungsoo gets both. Including the dessert that horribly resembles poop in a cup, but according to the sheet hanging on the side of the food truck is chocolate pudding. 

He’s halfway done with his hotdog, absentmindedly listening to Sehun complaining about some kid that got licked by a goat in the petting zoo and then wiped its hand on his shorts, when he registers movement with his periphery vision and turns around just in time to see another man sliding on the bench in front of him - tray filled with food and all.

It never fails to amaze him just how much Jongdae looks like a cat when he’s smiling like that.

“So,” he starts without even a greeting. “Word’s around that you’re in charge of the new pictures for the merch, Kyungsoo.” 

“Yeah, and?” Kyungsoo cautiously replies.

How Jongdae has found out is beyond him, since the only person present while him and Minseok had had this conversation a few days ago had been Sehun. And he knows for a fact that Sehun doesn’t give a single fuck. 

“And, I have an idea!” Jongdae smiles again, bringing his hands together over the table as if he’s about to present a thesis. “You know our lioness gave birth just a month ago, right?” 

How could he not. It’s been a month and Jongdae still mentions it every single time they meet. 

“Right,” he mumbles around a mouthful of hotdog. He already suspects where this conversation is heading. 

“Well, I was thinking, how amazing would it be to have a picture of a caretaker, _ me _, holding up a little baby lion while standing on the rock over the visitors’ exit?” 

There. He knew it. 

“We have had this conversation already, Jongdae…” 

“Oh, _ come on, _ Kyungsoo!” the man in front of him whines loudly - a sound more piercing than the whines of the children he hears all day long down at the gift shop. “Everybody loves a little Disney!” 

“You are _ not _ reenacting The Lion King. You are _ not _Rafiki.” 

“See? Even you know your Disney!” 

Kyungsoo just rolls his eyes, listening to Jongdae’s little grumbles from across the table. 

Finally, he thinks to himself as he finally leans forward to finish the rest of his meal. 

Jongdae slapping his hands on top of the table with a loud bang make him freeze mid-air, though, as he looks up in exasperation. _ Now _what?

“If you won’t put the picture on the T-shirts or cups, then I at least deserve the front page in the new pamphlet!” his tone is almost accusing and there is a daring glint in his eyes. Kyungsoo feels half tempted to refuse again, just to see what Jongdae would come up with but the man beats him. He starts whining again. “Just stop for a moment and think about it! Kids would absolutely love it!” 

“They won’t even recognize it, though,” Baekhyun mumbles from the side. “Isn’t The Lion King, like, a 20 year old movie?”

Jongdae turns to snarl at Baekhyun for not backing him up and Kyungsoo takes this chance to finish his food. Lunch and drama. Amazing. 

However, those two don’t even try to keep it quiet and, surprisingly, it’s not him who snaps first. It’s Sehun, who looks up from his phone and frowns:

“Won’t you two shut up? It’s just the stupid pamphlet.” 

“A pamphlet?” another voice joins in on their conversation and Kyungsoo breaths out. Their table is starting to get a little bit crowded as Chanyeol slides in next to him with the Widest Smile Kyungsoo has ever seen. “Are we getting a new pamphlet?” 

“Apparently.” Sehun deadpans. 

“We are,” Jongdae pointedly says. “And Kyungsoo is against me bringing some joy into everybody’s life.” 

Chanyeol turns to Sehun for a clarification. The tour guide shrugs.

“He wants to reenact The Lion King.” 

“Rock scene?”

“With a baby lion.” 

“_ Nice _!” Chanyeol reaches over the table to high-five Jongdae, only earning himself a distasteful look from Kyungsoo. 

“See? Chanyeol thinks it’s a good idea!” 

“Yeah, well Chanyeol thinks Zootopia should have won Movie of the Year and his hobby is petting alligators. His opinion doesn’t count.” 

It’s Chanyeol’s turn to fight Baekhyun now and Kyungsoo’s headache might be getting even worse than before now that he is surrounded by oversized children. Maybe he should have stayed in the gift shop after all. 

“Anyways, I was just telling him how he’s about to miss the chance to create the coolest pamphlets in the history of advertisement if he doesn’t put me and my lion cubs on the front page.” 

“Whoa, whoa, hold up! Front page?” Chanyeol lets out a sound that very much sounds like a scoff. “It _ is _a cool idea, but you can’t expect him to put that on the front page.” 

Kyungsoo is just about to express his gratitude, when Chanyeol opens his mouth. Again. 

“Everybody knows the coolest animals are the reptiles. I should be on the front page with a snake or something. Or like, a crocodile!” 

“What?!” Jongdae sounds positively scandalized. “Snakes and crocodiles? Nobody wants to see slimy predators on the front page!” 

“Oh, so they want to see the furry ones?” 

“Hey, lions are the kings of the jungle!” 

“Yeah? Well, they’re afraid of crocodiles. Pussy.” 

Kyungsoo takes in a deep breath and shakes his head. The hamburger is kind of gross but it acts as a diversion from him thinking about different ways to choke his co-workers. 

“The front of the pamphlet should be family-friendly. It should be something beautiful and cute, something the kids would like.” Kyungsoo tries reasoning.

“Oh, so you mean something like, I don’t know, baby lions?” 

“Something like dolphins.” Kyungsoo huffs. 

“Surprise, surprise. He went for the dolphins.” Baekhyun mutters from beside him and Kyungsoo shoves his heel in the other’s shoes. He hopes that hurt. Baekhyun lets out a sound and immediately pushes him away. “What?!” 

“Dolphins? Really?” Chanyeol frowns. “And how exactly will you take pictures of the dolphins?”

“Yeah, can’t exactly hold them up now, can you?” Jongdae adds and Kyungsoo feels cornered. Why are they siding up against him now? What the hell? 

“I don’t know. I’m not the dolphin expert. I’ll ask Jongin if he can ride them or something and I’ll just take the pictures.” 

There is a moment of collective silence and Kyungsoo thinks for the briefest of seconds, that he might have actually won this argument. However-

“Well, I don’t know about riding them, but you can take pictures during the feeding time.” 

A little part of Kyungsoo dies at the sound of the honey dipped voice behind him.

_ Shit. _

It’s almost as if it is in slow motion - the way he turns around and sees Jongin standing there in his full glory - hair now drier than before, messy and sticking out in all directions, neopren still clinging tightly to his perfect body and a little, dazed smile on his beautiful lips. 

He looks like a surfer, Kyungsoo’s mind unhelpfully supplies. Like a sun-kissed surfer whom everyone at the beach swoons over.

Except, they’re in the city zoo. And he’s pretty sure he’s the only idiot swooning over the man right now. 

His mind is almost too slow to process the fact that _ Jongin heard them _. 

Jongin heard him suggesting the damn dolphins. 

“They’re really smart too!” he continues with his beautiful, low voice and Kyungsoo just blinks dumbly. “Just give them fish and they will follow your commands, so I’m pretty sure they would pose for you.” 

“Uh… uh-huh.” 

That’s all Kyungsoo can come up with as a response. He sees the way Jongin’s eye twinkle under the sunlight when he smiles brightly. 

“You can come out and take pictures sometime then. If you want.” 

“Oh no.” the obnoxiously whiny voice of Jongdae breaks Kyungsoo’s bubble. “No, no, no. My lions take priority over here, Mr. Fish-man. Get in line.” 

Jongin blinks at Jongdae before turning away from him without even gracing that with a reply and giving Kyungsoo a little smile.

“I’ll see you later.” 

“...yeah.” 

And then Jongin is walking away to the background noise of Jongdae and Chanyeol’s continued bickering. 

Kyungsoo feels pathetic when he can’t do anything to peel his eyes off the dolphin trainer’s retreating figure. Not from the way he raises a hand to run his fingers through those messy, brown locks, messing them up even more. From those broad shoulders and the way the fabric is tightly clinging to his skin. His eyes move further down to his lean waist and long, sculpted legs. 

A Poseidon among ordinary men. Indeed. 

He is still staring, hamburger and quarrels long forgotten, until he feels someone’s breath on the back of his neck.

He almost jumps up in surprise when he turns to face a very smug Baekhyun with a shit eating grin. 

“Caught you. You were _ definitely _staring at his ass this time.” 

Kyungsoo’s taken off guard this time, irritated at how warm his cheeks suddenly feel. “Shut up.”

Baekhyun’s grin turns sly, and Kyungsoo is surprised when the other man actually leaves him alone this time. Kyungsoo figures it’s just fuel Baekhyun will use later to piss him off when he’s stuck in the gift shop, unable to escape the tour guide’s evil clutches.

For now, Kyungsoo decides to just stare down at his food. He tries not to bite his lip at the excitement that wells up inside of him at the thought of spending time with Jongin. Especially a possible _ wet _ Jongin splashing and giggling with his dolphins as Kyungsoo snaps pictures for the pamphlet. Kyungsoo can just picture Jongin’s beaming smile and pretty brown eyes looking up at his camera and it makes his heart skip a beat.

He shakes his head.

What is wrong with him? He needs to stop daydreaming.

~

It is a Friday afternoon, about two hours after peak time for visitors at the zoo, and Kyungsoo can’t wait to just get out of the little stuffy gift shop. He kind of feels bad about leaving Wendy alone when he knows all the visitors will flood the place after the last shows, but he also can’t help but to be excited for tonight. Ever since that awkward phone call from the previous weekend with what sounded like a very sleepy and disoriented Jongin, Kyungsoo has had Friday on his mind. Or rather, this Friday, half past five, when the last dolphin show of the day at the lagoon ends. 

That’s when he has to go over and take pictures for the pamphlets. And that’s in less than half an hour now. He can’t help the jittery feeling spreading through his chest every time he thinks about seeing Jongin again (even though he saw him at lunch less than four hours ago).

It’s not that he doesn’t _ want _ to see Jongin or his marine life companions. It’s more of that he and Jongin had never actually been alone before. It’s always been the two of them somehow surrounded by the rest of the zoo keepers, so Kyungsoo has been able to somewhat hide behind their playful banters. 

What will he do without Jongdae telling him about baby lions playing with rubber tires? Or without Chanyeol trying to convince everyone he wrestled a cobra? A cobra that Sehun claimed was a lizard, sparking an entire debate on reptilians in general.

Now it’s just going to be just the two of them and Kyungsoo’s going to have to actually interact with Jongin like a normal human. Kyungsoo tries not to think of the awkward small talk that’s about to ensue as he walks aimlessly around the park to kill time.

He’s brought out of his gloomy thoughts when he hears the tell tale sign of a school group coming his way. He takes the loud entrance of the group of young students as his cue to leave. He _ cannot _deal with another six year old asking him where they can find the unicorns in the zoo. He simply cannot. 

Kyungsoo glances at his phone and supposes it’s just about time for him to be making his way to the marine life section of the park anyway. So, before any kid can attempt to snag him and ask some sort of stupid question, he beelines it towards the back of the park.

The walk to the dolphin lagoon is definitely strenuous, but Kyungsoo endures. He has to adjust his camera bag multiple times and his feet may or may not be aching by the time he gets there, but finally he arrives. He doesn’t know how Jongin does this every day. Walking back and forth between the lagoon and the entrance of the park where the lunch food trucks are. No wonder he has legs like that. 

Just in time, it seems, considering all of the visitors exiting the small arena and making their way back into the park. 

Kyungsoo gulps, standing in the middle of the exiting crowd like some sort of unmoving rock parting a rushing river. He thinks about the fact that the show must have ended about five minutes ago tops. He thinks about the fact that it means Jongin had been in the water five minutes ago. And that would mean a wet Jongin in his neoprene diving suit and little droplets of water falling from the ends of his auburn hair, falling on the lips stretched in a dazzling smile. 

_ ‘Lord, give me strength’ _, he mentally chants to himself, as he adjusts his camera bag one last time and takes a deep breath. He looks up at the painted dolphins on the entrance of the arena. Kyungsoo briefly thinks they’re mocking him, but he snaps himself out of it. He’s going to give himself a meltdown if he doesn’t just get in there already.

Slowly, he shuffles in, knowing how awkward he looks as he peeks around the corner and makes his way to the bleachers. He feels like he’s in a horror movie with how quiet it is, but then he hears it. A high pitched whining sound.

“I know, princess. You’re still hungry. But we need to wait for our special guest.”

Kyungsoo stills down as he finally catches sight of Jongin, sitting at the edge of the raised pool, feet dipped in the water. He can see them through the large glass of the raised tank that lets the audience see under the water, him kicking them leisurely. The neoprene is clinging to his body, and his hair is still wet. And Jesus, it’s so much worse than Kyungsoo imagined. He’s already having trouble breathing. 

It takes him an embarrassingly long time to realize that there is, in fact, a large, grey animal poking its elongated nose into Jongin’s warmly, outstretched arms. Right. There are dolphins here too. He forgot about them for a second. 

But there Jongin is, sitting by the pool and playing with one of the dolphins swimming close to where he is sitting, with such a genuine and beautiful smile on his lips that it makes Kyungsoo wish he was a fish too. 

The loud sound comes again, accompanied by a ticking creak, almost like the dolphin is tutting. Jongin’s laugh is quiet, but Kyungsoo can hear it even from here. It’s warm, and it’s gentle. 

“Alright then,” Jongin says, reaching out towards the bucket beside him. This seems to get the dolphin excited, because it leaps even closer to Jongin, as close as the border of the pool allows. “Just one more.”

Kyungsoo watches Jongin as he pulls out a fish from the bucket and throws it lightly in the air. The dolphin immediately catches it and then, in a manner of celebration or gratitude - Kyungsoo isn’t sure, he isn’t a dolphin - it nuzzles closer to Jongin again, a pleased squeak resounding around the arena. 

Kyungsoo’s fingers wrap around the camera hanging from his neck tightly then - this is a sight way too pure and way too beautiful to miss out on. The animal genuinely trusts Jongin, it’s obvious, and Jongin apparently loves it just as much. It’s visible in the way he is smiling. 

A loud click resounds around the empty arena when Kyungsoo takes the picture.

A loud click that startles even Kyungsoo himself. One that makes the dolphin let out another tutting sound. One that makes Jongin turn around and look over his shoulder. He seems to be slightly alarmed, until finally realization takes over his features and his parted lips form a beautiful and welcoming smile. 

“I knew that noise wasn’t any of my dolphins,” the trainer says with a chuckle, and he pulls his legs out of the water then, standing up with a small grunt and fully facing Kyungsoo now. “You’re right on time.”

Kyungsoo seems to find it a little hard to speak, especially now that he can see all of Jongin. Especially now that Jongin’s attention is all on _ him _. 

In the periphery of his vision, he notices the dolphin diving back under the water and he feels his breath hitch a little, eyebrows twitching.

“I’m sorry,” Kyungsoo blurts out, hand awkwardly flailing in the direction of the water. “I didn’t mean to scare it.”

  
“Her.” Jongin corrects almost instinctively, before shrugging his wide shoulders. “And don’t worry. They’re used to cameras. Nothing a nice, big mackerel can’t fix.”

“Holy mackerel,” Kyungsoo says without even thinking, his cheeks turning bright red when Jongin just blinks at him. “I mean… where are the mackerel?”

Jongin stares for a few seconds longer before he cracks the biggest grin Kyungsoo has ever seen him wear. He’s laughing immediately afterward, loud and high pitched just like his dolphins. Kyungsoo thinks he may have just died and gone to heaven making him laugh like that.

“Here,” Jongin says breathlessly, recovering from laughing as he outstretches a hand to Kyungsoo from the top of the pool. “I’ll show you.”

Kyungsoo stares at Jongin’s pretty palm entirely too long to be considered normal, but he tries not to think too hard about it. He puts his camera up by Jongin’s feet and takes the other man’s hand, pulling himself up with Jongin’s help.

Kyungsoo huffs, catching his breath as he picks up his camera again. “Do you always have to climb up here for the shows?”

Jongin grins. “Actually there are stairs at the back.”

Kyungsoo tries not to glare, but it’s practically an instinct at this point that has developed ever since he started working in the zoo. Usually, the glare is reserved for Baekhyun or Jongdae, not for Jongin. Definitely not for Jongin, but the marine life trainer just made him climb up wet rocks so he might be a little deserving of at least for now. 

It’s alright, though, as Kyungsoo tries to talk himself out of complaining. Mostly because Jongin is still holding his hand and mostly because he can’t seem to gather his grammar to form any coherent sentences when the other man is standing so close to him with his cheeky grin. 

“So how do you wanna do this?” Jongin asks, breaking the awkward silence first and letting go of his hand when he makes sure that Kyungsoo (and his camera) are now safely standing up straight on the biggest rock, overseeing the entire lagoon. “Do you want to take pictures of them jumping, or pictures of them feeding?”

“I-...” Kyungsoo looks around the water and the shadows of dolphins he sees underneath the surface. “I’m not really sure. I was kind of hoping you would have suggestions.”

Jongin seems to get lost in his own thoughts then, eyes squinting calculatingly at the lagoon. He places his hands on his hips and Kyungsoo has to remind himself that he is here to take pictures of the dolphins, and not the Greek god that Jongin is today. 

“I can ask them to spin the beach balls on their noses. They’re really cute when they do that.”

Kyungsoo nods dumbly. “That would be great.”

Jongin nods, looking at the pool in front of him and watching as the dolphin lazily swims around. “First, let’s bring princess here to the back with the others. I think it’ll make a better shot if we have a few of them working together.”

Kyungsoo agrees, quietly following behind Jongin as he moves to an area behind the main pool. Looking around, there are other pools as well, a few fins breaching the surface of the water as the dolphins swim around. Kyungsoo is so entranced by them, that he doesn’t even notice Jongin talking to his fellow trainers, them agreeing to bring the one in the arena to the back for him.

He taps Kyungsoo’s shoulder, giving him a sweet smile before holding up the most foul smelling bucket of fish Kyungsoo has ever seen.

“You’ll need these.”

“Wait, _ me _?”

Jongin laughs. “Yes, you. You want them to pose for you right? They’ll probably be extra sweet towards you if you give them their favorite snacks. Now come on. I want to show you something.”

Jongin passes the bucket to Kyungsoo and he can only grimace at how slimy the dead fish look. He tries not to sigh too loudly as he follows behind Jongin to one of the bigger pools at the back of the facility.

Dolphins immediately zoom over when they see Jongin approaching the edge of the pool, them lifting their heads and making clicking and whining noises at him. Jongin’s small giggle is contagious as Kyungsoo watches them try to get their trainer’s attention.

“This is where we train them. Sometimes we do examinations here as well so you’re welcome to get in the water with them if you’d like.” Jongin squats down and Kyungsoo tries not to look directly at his ass, but it’s entirely too hard and Kyungsoo is a weak man. “They’re usually very sweet when they’re in here because they know they’ll get treats.”

Kyungsoo hardly hears Jongin, and he’s only knocked out of his daze when he sees Jongin do a small motion with his hand, a spray of lukewarm water hitting his leg a moment later. Kyungsoo looks down at the dolphin in front of him, offended at the fact his shoes are now soaked, but looks to Jongin a second later.

Jongin has a mischievous grin on his face, and it’s then that Kyungsoo realized he caught him staring at his ass. 

_ Great. _

End him now.

Just as he thinks that the shallow pool in front of him looks like a great place to drown himself, Jongin stands. One hand rests on his hip and the other grips his whistle around his neck. He blows it shortly, and Kyungsoo blinks as the dolphins immediately fall into a little sort of formation. It’s also then that another dolphin comes swimming in, and Kyungsoo recognizes her to be the one Jongin was petting when he first arrived.

“So, usually before I ask them to do any of the harder tricks, I play with them first. We have exercises we always start with that all of them have been doing since they were babies.” Jongin smiles, raising his hand and waving it.

Kyungsoo is about to ask what he’s doing when the three dolphins lean to their sides, noses half way out of the water as they wave their fins back at Jongin. Kyungsoo’s eyes widen and he can’t keep the amazement off his face.

“They can wave?”

Jongin chuckles, a somewhat fond look in his eyes as he raises an eyebrow at Kyungsoo. He looks back at the dolphins, raising both of his hands and dancing back and forth a little. The dolphins splash their fins in response. “You’ve never been to one of the shows, have you?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, still astonished by the small, but very enthusiastic waves of the dolphins before they dive under the water yet again.

“The gift shop gets quite busy, especially before and after your shows.”

Jongin smiles a little at that, a heartfelt, lopsided smirk, and Kyungsoo just shrugs. 

“Okay, your turn,” Jongin scoots over to free the spot next to the border of the pool for Kyungsoo. He points his finger to the water. “Stand over here and just wave your hand.” 

“But I don’t know-” 

“What? How to wave?” Jongin cocks one of his perfect eyebrows and Kyungsoo’s world starts spinning a little. “It’s not rocket science.” 

Kyungsoo is quite reluctant when he steps forward, one hand tightly clutching the camera, the other suddenly feeling the burden of the US marines as he slowly raises it and waves. 

To his utter surprise, the dolphins are just as responsive and as enthusiastic to wave back at him just like they did at Jongin.

He doesn’t even realize he’s smiling in a daze until the dolphins dive under the water again.

“See?” Jongin’s voice is warm and sweet right next to him. “It wasn’t that hard. They like you.” 

A big grey head pokes out of the water then, and a nose nuzzles Kyungsoo’s ankle and makes him shriek in surprise. The other two dolphins join the first one at the edge of the pool, three sets of black eyes piercing right through him expectantly. Menacingly almost.

He stammers over his words as he turns to stare at a very entertained Jongin. The trainer stands there with his still damp hair, hand on his hip, and a playful glint in his pretty eyes.

“What? Did you expect them to work for no payment?” 

Kyungsoo’s eyes flash towards the bucket with the dead fish. Right. Payment. 

He feels another poke at his ankle, a very insistent one, accompanied by a loud shriek. Great. Now a mob of angry dolphins was after him. 

“Jongin, I don’t know,” he blinks. “I’m here to take pictures. You should feed them.” 

“It’s just fish!” 

“It’s _ dead _fish.”

“So what?” Jongin raises his eyebrows indignantly, like he’s trying to look offended but that teasing glint in his eyes give him away. “You don’t eat your chicken alive, do you?” 

Kyungsoo makes a face. Not the best analogy, but Jongin does have a point. He raises a hand to remove the strap of the camera from his neck, setting it aside. He can live down the shoes getting soaked, but if he ruins his dad’s camera he’ll be in a lot of trouble and that’s the last thing he wants to deal with. He somehow thinks his old man wouldn’t be very fond if he hears that his camera got wet because a dolphin tried to attack him. 

When the camera is safely put away, Kyungsoo looks down at the bucket with the fish again. Jongin seems to be trying to hold down his laughter when he watches Kyungsoo rolling up his sleeve with a rather prominent frown on his lips. 

The fish is slimy in his fingers and Kyungsoo wants to just drop it back in the bucket and go double rinse his hands with soap and a disinfectant. However, Jongin’s respect and smile are on the line here, so he supposes he can get through it this one time.

The dolphins seem to get particularly excited when they notice him raising the fish. They start making excited screeching sounds and Kyungsoo looks towards Jongin for confirmation. 

“Just throw it, they’ll catch it. They have order.” 

And Kyungsoo is about to - really, he wants to get rid of the fish as much as the dolphins want to eat it - but the sudden shift of the animal in front of him startles him. The dolphin leaps up impatiently, obviously done waiting for him to actually get his shit together and feed them properly. The problem here is, though, that Kyungsoo is leaning most of his body weight on the particular leg the dolphin decides to nudge.

That, combined with the utter shock of the cold, wet nose of the dolphin against his skin (and his lack of basic coordination skills and control over his own limbs that he refuses to admit), has him slipping. His world tilts and the last thing he sees before he’s engulfed in water is Jongin’s shocked expression.

Now, Kyungsoo knows dolphins aren’t harmful creatures. They’re not _ sharks _ . They’re not going to _ eat him _. But the moment he falls in, the dolphins seem to get excited at their new play mate and swim around him like vultures circling prey. At least, that’s how Kyungsoo’s brain interprets it. 

They brush up against him and Kyungsoo struggles to get his feet to work right and push him to the surface, letting out the most embarrassing screech as he tries to swim to the edge of the pool. 

The water is splashing, both from him and the dolphins, but Kyungsoo is able to calm down a little more when he is able to cling to the edge of the pool for dear life. It’s only then when he hears another splash, the dolphins all leaving him alone and swimming away a moment later.

Kyungsoo cracks his eyes open and pathetically lifts his head to see where they’ve gone, only to see them circling calmly around Jongin, who is now gently treading water and cooing at them.

“There, there. You’re okay. I know, _ I know _, the big scary gift shop worker scared you, huh?”

Kyungsoo is about to give an indignant squawk because this is absolute favoritism - the dolphin scared _ him _first, god dammit. But then he sees Jongin’s sly smile, and when the trainer finally looks at him, Kyungsoo can’t help but to smile and laugh at the entire situation.

Jongin laughs too, eyes crinkling at the sides and his dimples on his cheeks showing. He makes a shooing motion with his hands and the dolphins slowly move away from him. “Now go tell Kyungsoo you’re sorry.”

“No, that’s really alri-” 

His sentence is cut off in the middle when he feels the nuzzle of a dolphin’s nose against his hand. It’s almost like the animal is urging him to pet it and Kyungsoo just blinks at it.

Eventually, he slides his hand down the side of the elongated nose, and the dolphin lets out a high pitched, ticking sound. Almost like laughter. 

“Well?” Jongin asks and his voice resounds in the hall and Kyungsoo looks towards him. The trainer is sitting at the edge of the pool now, hair dripping from his hair again, feet dipped in the water. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?” 

“They’re slimy.” 

Jongin furrows his eyebrows a little, looking dumbfounded. “They’re not _ slimy _, they’re rubbery. And they live in water, they’re wet. I’m sure your skin doesn’t feel dry as well when you shower.”

“Whatever you say, Dr. Dolittle,” Kyungsoo scoffs lightly, mostly to mask the fact that he was suddenly hyper aware of Jongin mentioning his skin while he is showering. Now was not the time for delusions, now was the time to get out of the pool and thank all celestial deities that he made the right decision to set the camera aside. That would have been a disaster. “Can you help me get out of here?” 

Jongin springs up immediately like he is on coil. He moves forward and reaches down to grab Kyungsoo’s outstretched arm tightly. He is leaning down and Kyungsoo is almost too grateful for a moment that he had fallen in the pool and made a fool of himself - at least he gets to see Jongin’s face all up close like this. And he gets to hold his hands too, twice now. Maybe he _ is _a winner, after all. 

Jongin pulls him up until Kyungsoo can perch a knee on the ground and stand up himself. He is all wet now - his clothes are soaked, his hair is wet and he doesn’t even want to think about the squeaky sounds his shoes make when he takes a step forward. 

“There you go,” Jongin says and Kyungsoo isn’t sure where the trainer produced the towel from, but he takes it regardless with a little appreciative nod. 

He makes sure to get the fish-water off his face first, before wrapping the towel over his shoulders and backing away from the edge of the pool, as far away as possible. He’s had enough adventures for one day.

Besides, he reminds himself as his eyes land on the camera, he still has a job to do.

Jongin awkwardly shifts, looking at Kyungsoo worriedly, a hint of remorse shining in his beautiful brown eyes. “Are you okay?”

Kyungsoo’s heart clenches at how genuinely concerned the trainer looks, especially when the other man throws a guilty look towards Kyungsoo’s sopping wet shoes. “I am, don’t worry. I’ve been through worse. Chanyeol made me hold his python before. Now _ that _ was a disaster.” 

“His...uhm…” Jongin blinks a few times. “_ Which _…python?”

Kyungsoo open and closes his mouth a few times. “H-His snake! I mean- Not _ his _ snake! Yeah. One of the big ones. I-In the _ Reptilian House _. He needed help feeding it and, well. It wanted to eat me instead and Chanyeol that idiot was too busy talking to see it wrapping around me and-”

Jongin’s laughter fills the air as Kyungsoo stammers, and Kyungsoo only shuts up when Jongin reaches out and casually presses his hand to Kyungsoo’s arm. “I’m kidding, Kyungsoo. You don’t have to look so panicked around me all the time.”

Kyungsoo says a small ‘right’ under his breath, awkwardly holding the towel. He looks down at it in his hands and then to his camera he had put away a few feet from them. He smiles at Jongin a little shyly, handing back the towel to Jongin. “We should finish the pictures. I’m sure the dolphins want a rest after performing all day.”

Jongin smiles back and Kyungsoo feels warm when he realizes how close they’re standing. “Yeah. We’ll get you some dry clothes after we finish.” Jongin bites his lip. “For you know, in case you fall in again.”

Kyungsoo huffs, about to say something but Jongin is quick to blow his whistle, the trainer’s attention back on the dolphins.

The next half an hour is spent with Jongin giving the dolphins instructions and Kyungsoo taking pictures as they pose for him. They seem to be really receptive to Kyungsoo’s presence, even posing prettily for him in more natural shots when Jongin isn’t giving them any sort of instruction. 

The beach balls make the dolphins look entirely too precious for their own good, but the happy seal-like clapping and the beaming smile from Jongin are the sight that truly makes Kyungsoo’s heart flutter in his chest.

The only downside of the whole thing is the beach ball to the face Kyungsoo gets when Jongin shoos them away. He nearly drops his camera in surprise but luckily he catches it in time. He doesn’t hesitate to send a glare to the culprit, though. 

Jongin chuckles as the dolphin bobs its head, like it’s laughing at Kyungsoo’s misery too.

“I think Princess likes you.”

“Yeah well,” Kyungsoo starts, giving one last disgruntled look at the feeding bucket before throwing the dolphin a fish. “The feeling isn’t mutual yet...wait, her name is Princess?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I thought you were just being cringey, like Jongdae when he calls the cubs his children.”

Jongin laughs again, not really rebuking Kyungsoo’s accusatory statement, moving to stand next to him as they both watch the dolphins swim around. Kyungsoo can feel Jongin’s neoprene suit against his arm as their shoulders brush. “She’s got an attitude, that’s why I love her. She was a baby when I first came to the zoo, so I was her first trainer.”

“So she’s the favorite,” Kyungsoo remarks and Jongin hums. The lagoon is quiet now, the only noise resonating in the air being the small splashes the dolphins make as they move around. The air is warm from the water, a little humid as well but Kyungsoo’s already so wet from being dunked in the pool by a giant fish earlier that he doesn’t mind. 

He swallows, chancing a look at Jongin who is already looking at him. Jongin’s pretty brown eyes are sparkling under the artificial lights, and he gives Kyungsoo the smallest smile. 

“Let’s get you some clothes and a nice shower. I’m sure you’re tired of smelling like fish.”

“I’m glad I didn’t have to point that out myself.”

Jongin smirks a little, grabbing the empty feeding bucket and leading Kyungsoo down a hall. “It’s written all over your face. Not to mention the disgusted look you were throwing at the dead fish every 5 minutes.”

Kyungsoo feels guilty for the briefest of moments before Jongin waves his hand. 

“No worries,” he says happily. “You’ll get used to it.”

Kyungsoo hardly has time to process that Jongin is insinuating that Kyungsoo will be back. Or that he _ wants _ Kyungsoo to come back. 

“I just can’t believe you can do this every day,”_ and that I still think you’re hot. _ The second part of his sentence he keeps to himself. 

There are lockers along the wall in the room they enter, and Kyungoo is suddenly reminded of the changing rooms in his high school. Jongin just casually strides through the room, pulling one of the lockers open. WIth an assessing look in his eyes, he reaches to pull out neatly folded clothes.

“They might be a little big on you, but I guess it’s better than going home all drenched.” 

Kyungsoo is pretty sure his brain short circuits in that moment, when Jongin hands him the clean and dry clothes with a soft smile and sparkling eyes hidden underneath unruly and still damp locks of hair. 

“Are these...yours?” 

Jongin’s nod is somewhat nonchalant as he reaches out to pull another set of clean clothes from the locker.

“Risks of the profession. Always gotta be prepared.”

“Right,” Kyungsoo says, looking down at the folded clothes in his hands. “Thank you. I promise I’ll get them back to you soon.”

Jongin laughs merrily. “Guess that means I’ll be seeing you again?”

If Kyungsoo thought his brain short circuited before, it definitely stopped working now. He’s so caught up in his own mental breakdown that the Poseidon among men wants to see him _ again _ that he almost forgets to answer.

And when in distress, his mind unhelpfully supplies, sarcasm is the way to go. 

“We _ do _eat lunch together every day.”

Jongin’s eyes are unreadable as he blinks quickly, before finally cracking a little smile.

“I mean… I was hoping that I would be able to see some previews of the pamphlets when they’re ready.”

_ Oh. _

“Pamphlet?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widen when Jongin raises his eyebrow at him. “Right, the pamphlet! Uh- I will see what I can do. I’ll try to drop by soon if I can...”

Jongin’s eyebrow twitches as his expression grows amused. “You don’t have to be a stranger. I’m sure Princess would love her swimming buddy to come back and visit. Her trainer would definitely be happy if he did.” 

Kyungsoo is pretty sure at this point that Jongin is doing this on _ purpose _, but he’s way too far gone to actually mind or care. 

“I’ll go take a quick shower,” Jongin announces unceremoniously. “I’m getting sponge fingers.” 

Kyungsoo’s smile is tight and forced and it’s because he is trying his best to not scream out loud. Instead, he watches as Jongin disappears behind the corner. It had always been hard enough to see Jongin in all his neoprene glory, but thinking about the fact that the man was so nonchalant about being in the room next door, showering - now _ that _was a tad bit too much for Kyungsoo’s poor heart. And he’s thought he’d seen it all. 

He pulls the camera up, trying to distract himself from those lingering inappropriate thoughts, as he scrolls through the pictures. It kind of works. 

There are a lot of good pictures - splashes of water in the air when he had captured the dolphins’ flips, strong fins peeking over the surface of the pool when the dolphins had waved, Jongin’s smile as he was gently petting and praising Princess, Jongin’s concentrated expression and him holding the whistle in his slender fingers, Jongin-

_ This is about the dolphins! _

Kyungsoo scrolls through the pictures quickly, noting a few especially good shots. He will try to work on those ones. With some color adjustments, they would be great. 

“That one is really nice!” 

Kyungsoo almost jumps out of his skin at the sound of that familiar, warm voice _ so close _. It takes him about a second to realize that Jongin is leaning over his shoulder, looking down at the small preview screen of the camera. It takes him another second to realize that he can actually feel Jongin’s warm breath on his skin and it takes him yet another second to realize that Jongin is smiling that breathtaking smile of his right next to his face. That his hair is now wet again, that he is wearing fresh clothes, a simple T-shirt and jeans and that no other man he has ever laid eyes on has ever looked that good wearing something as simple.

Abort mission. Abort fucking mission. He is _ not _okay. 

Kyungsoo tries to blink his shock away, before eventually nodding stiffly. He looks down at the picture of the three dolphins jumping out of the water together.

If Jongin likes this picture, then Kyungsoo will try to use it. 

“I’m excited to see what the pamphlet turns out like.” 

He sets the camera aside, as he finally stands up, fingers digging into the fresh clothes Jongin gave him. He gives the other man a little smile.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo says a little breathlessly. “Me too.”

If Jongin is excited to see the pamphlet, then Kyungsoo will try his damnest to make this the best fucking pamphlet this world has ever seen.


	2. Chapter 2

After their time together at the Dolphin Lagoon, Jongin starts making a habit of coming in to visit Kyungsoo in the giftshop.

The first time it happened, Kyungsoo admits he was more than surprised, especially when Jongin walked in with his towel dried hair and swim trunks. Apparently he had just finished a show with the dolphins and said he just felt like coming to see Kyungsoo. 

Of course, Kyungsoo panicked at the dashing smile on Jongin’s face and blurted out a rather rude ‘don’t you have fish to feed’, rather than something  _ normal _ like ‘hey’ or ‘what’s up?’.

Kyungsoo felt horrible when he saw Jongin’s smile immediately falter, but that still didn’t seem to deter the other man from continuing to visit Kyungsoo during his off time.

At some point Kyungsoo stops questioning it because the more he thinks, the less he actually  _ thinks _ . He ends up saying stupid things.  _ Really  _ stupid things. As if he hasn’t embarrassed himself in front of Jongin enough. He doesn’t need to add more to the already piling mount of awkwardness. 

And the moment he stops questioning it, he realizes that he actually really enjoys having Jongin around. That maybe there is a lot more to him than just the sweet guy with a killer body wrapped in neoprene. He has to admit, he likes his company, more than he likes staring at him. And that truly says something.

During those many visits, Kyungsoo gets to learn a lot about the dolphin trainer. Like, that he likes Nesquik more than he does any caffeine-based drink. Kyungsoo thinks that’s adorable, especially when he mentions how often he drinks it with his lunches every day. He also likes reading. Surprisingly, mystery novels with well developed plot lines, some of which he explained in great detail upon Kyungsoo’s curious gaze. 

Good, Kyungsoo thinks to himself as Jongin talks on and on. He’s got layers. Just like an onion. Kyungsoo likes onions. 

He almost smacks himself at that train of thought. Jongin’s out there looking like a Greek descended from Olympus, reading existentialism novels, and Kyungsoo makes Shrek references.  _ He’s not worthy of him _ . 

But Jongin keeps returning to the gift shop, even if the dolphin lagoon is all the way across the zoo. And it’s because of this that Kyungsoo finds himself falling deeper and harder with every passing day upon the sight of this golden Apollo gracing the darkest pit of the park with his bright eyes and warm smile.

It doesn’t help Jongin is so attentive, either.

It seems that every word Kyungsoo is able to stutter out, Jongin hangs on to. His gaze is always intense too, like he  _ really  _ wants to pay attention to whatever Kyungsoo is talking about, even if he’s just spouting nonsense about his shit day so far or having to deal with the angry moms complaining about prices in the store. 

It’s sweet how Jongin engages him in such meaningless conversations, right up until he has to get back to the lagoon. Some days he stays as long as possible, just waving his hand at Kyungsoo when he points out the time and saying a short ‘I can just run there. I’ll be fine.’

Kyungsoo is always touched but also can’t help to think this must be why Jongin is in such good shape. Man, Kyungsoo  _ really _ needs to hit the gym.

Other than meeting during Jongin’s break, they really don’t have time to see each other. Their hours clash, so it makes it nearly impossible. It disappoints Kyungsoo that he’s unable to at least see him casually, and mentally tells himself maybe he should just work up the courage to ask to see Jongin outside of work.

However, an opportunity arises a couple weeks after.

“I highly recommend it,” Jongin says, eyes shining. “It’s a really really good book. If you want, I can bring in my copy and let you borrow it.”

Kyungsoo nods, smiling as he leans against the counter. “The shop is randomly slow, so I’d love that.”

Jongin opens his mouth to say something, but suddenly, the doors are slammed open.

Both of them whip around, blinking in confusion when they see Minseok stomping in, looking frazzled as ever. “What are you two doing?” he demands.

Jongin opens and closes his mouth, seemingly stunned so Kyungsoo answers for him.

“Jongin’s on break. I’m just managing the shop-”

“Please for the love of God, just close the shop for the day and go feed the goddamn giraffes. The caretaker called in sick and I have a sick rhino on my hands.” Minseok ushers the two of them out of the shop before they can even agree, using his many keys to lock the shop.

Sehun, who happens to be walking by and overheard the whole commotion, gives the head veterinarian a confused look. “Wait, are you sure-”

Minseok jumps in his golf cart, ignoring the tour guide and taking off down the walkways of the zoo.

Sehun snorts, yelling after Minseok. “Out of all of the people working here, you asked the shortest one to feed the giraffes!”

With a golf cart comes responsibility, Kyungsoo supposes as he watches Minseok disappearing behind the horizon at an obnoxious speed. 

With a golf cart comes freedom as well. 

Maybe Kyungsoo should get one of these too. 

Besides, it would make reaching the dolphin lagoon on the other side of the park much easier. Then again, if he doesn’t, maybe he’ll have beautifully sculpted thighs like Jongin.

Kyungsoo glances at the man in question, seeing him playfully try to hit Sehun for the short comment on Kyungsoo's behalf. He smiles, gently pressing a hand to his shoulder. “Leave him be. I’ll get him back later. Besides, we have some hungry giraffes waiting for us.

Jongin chuckles, especially when Sehun throws them a peace sign and walks away. “You’re right. Do you know where we have to go?”

Kyungsoo blinks, a thought occuring to him. “Actually… I’ve only ever been to the Dolphin Lagoon. I’ve never seen the rest of the park.”

Jongin’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “Wait, are you serious? Not even as a kid?”

He shakes his head, shrugging. “My family never thought about taking me, so I really never got to visit. I only applied for a job here because my parents told me to.”

“Well,” Jongin says, a determined glint in his eyes as he leads Kyungsoo to the African section of the zoo. “We’ll have to fix that one day.”

Kyungsoo is rendered a little speechless at that, trying to stop thinking about his heart skipping a beat at the mischievous smile Jongin sends him. He clears his throat as they approach the employee entrance to the giraffe pen. “You know… I’m not sure why Minseok asked me to do this. Don’t I need a zoology degree or something?”

Jongin laughs, leading Kyungsoo to the sink where they wash their hands. “Yeah, technically you should be an actual caretaker, but he likes you. Plus that’s probably why he wanted me to come along too. I’m technically allowed to do it.” 

Kyungsoo hums. “He probably just wanted me to be here so I make sure you don’t accidentally feed the giraffes fish.”

Jongin laughs loudly, like a seal, and it makes Kyungsoo feel all warm. Kyungsoo follows along as Jongin prepares the food in multiple buckets, squinting at the amount of lettuce in the mixture of twig-like foods and grains. Jongin doesn’t even hesitate to use his own hand to make sure it’s properly mixed, smiling up at Kyungsoo when he just stands there awkwardly.

“You could help, you know,” Jongin says teasingly.

Kyungsoo stiffens. “Right. Sorry. I was just thrown off by the amount of food you’re bringing out.”

Jongin hums as they work together. “Each giraffe eats about seventy-five pounds a day. I saw on the log another caretaker filled out that they already ate their breakfast, so this is only a little bit to them. Like a snack.”

“Wait, are you serious? A  _ day _ ?!” Kyungsoo blinks, not even thinking about his next words. “I want to be a giraffe.”

Jongin snorts, throwing a lettuce leaf at him. “If you want to basically eat just salad and nuts everyday, then go for it.”

Kyungsoo makes a disgruntled face, the sole thought of giving up on meat and cheese physically hurting his soul. He follows Jongin’s lead and grabbing a couple of the buckets and heading for the door. “Yeah, nevermind. Count me out. I’d rather be like your dolphins and eat fish every day for the rest of my life.”

Jongin’s smile hasn’t left his face. “Don’t knock it until you try it.”

Kyungsoo just shrugs, and watches the dolphin trainer push the wooden door to an observation deck. He eyes the sign there that indicates that it’s meant only for caretakers to use, a little giddy he’s able to be here. He’s not a big animal person, but it’s a little surreal he’s able to do this.

Kyungsoo eyes the little wooden porch, and the way Jongin sets down the buckets on the inner side of the fence. He, too, leaves down the buckets and curiously blinks towards Jongin who simply stands there, eyes scanning the green fields in front of them. 

He doesn’t even need to call the animals over. As soon as the giraffes spot them, they slowly start moving towards them. It’s like they know that seeing people on that little observation deck means delicious treats, so they waste no time in gracefully walking over. 

Kyungsoo can’t stop the grin from spreading on his lips, especially when the baby giraffe seems to take a lot of interest in them, walking ahead of its parents.

“Hey there, little one,” Jongin sing-songs, the baby immediately going to him and nosing him excitedly.

“Jongin, this baby is literally 3 meters tall.” Kyungsoo eyes the baby, how it keeps nosing at Jongin’s hair.

Jongin chuckles breathlessly, eyes shining mischievously as he points in front of Kyungsoo. “Compared to his parents?”

Kyungsoo looks, jumping back a little in shock when he’s suddenly greeted by a face full of two adult giraffes. They’re sniffing at him, eyes a little blank but they’re definitely determined when they spot the bucket behind him. “Oh my god.”

He hears Jongin’s merry laugh, and Kyungsoo observes how he grabs handfuls of the food and offers it to the baby. Well, that looks safer than taking pictures at the dolphin lagoon, he thinks to himself. He feels excitement flowing through his veins, doing the same but getting a look of horror when he sees the two giraffes in front of him stick out their tongues.

_ Oh god _ .

There’s going to be so much giraffe spit on him by the end of this.

One of the animals practically sticks its face in his hands, it tugging at the lettuce. Kyungsoo tries not to outwardly cringe when the wet tongue keeps brushing against his skin, but he can forget about it the moment the other giraffe noses him impatiently as if pouting. He giggles breathlessly, lightly pushing away it’s nose. 

“You’ll get your turn,” he says softly, grabbing another handful of food and allowing it to eat. He’s so entranced by the animals in front of him, he almost forgets Jongin is there next to him.

He subtly glances at Jongin, heart leaping in his chest when he realizes Jongin is just standing there, watching him with a warm smile. The baby continues eating from his hands, but he doesn’t seem to pay it much mind. “Cute,” he says quietly, and Kyungsoo tries to convince himself he’s referring to the animals. He could swear he feels his face becoming warmer with a blush that starts spreading under his skin. 

Kyungsoo clears his throat. “So do caretakers take care of multiple animals like this often?”

Jongin continues staring, finding Kyungsoo’s awkward fidgeting amusing. “Not usually. The animals all grow up here at the zoo with specific people, so we try to give them that sense of familiarity. Caretakers become like their family, depending on the animals.”

There is a beat of silence, in which Jongin shrugs and hands yet another lettuce leaf to the baby giraffe. 

“Then again, they see hundreds of tourists every day. They’re used to other people.”

Kyungsoo nods. “That makes sense.”

There is a small silence, and there’s a little tension in the atmosphere between them after that. It’s not a bad one per say, but Kyungsoo can tell Jongin wants to ask something because he starts to fidget too.

Jongin reaches back for more food, breaking his gaze away from Kyungsoo for the first time as if he’s shy. His voice is hesitant when he speaks.

“So, you haven’t been back to the lagoon in a while.” Kyungsoo’s breath hitches, his stomach doing flips. Jongin gives him a curious look. “Is there a reason why?”

Kyungsoo swallows harshly, willing himself to do more than just stand there and blink at the other man. “I- uh…”

Jongin smiles a little. “It’s not that big of a deal, Kyungsoo. You don’t have to look so scared.”

Kyungsoo laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck and cringing when he realizes his hand is still covered in giraffe spit. 

“No! It’s just…” Kyungsoo pauses, trying to get his thoughts together. “I wanted to. I really did, but our schedules just don’t line up, I guess. I work during all your shows, so I haven’t been able to come.”

The dolphin trainer looks a little happy at that, him biting his lip and looking away shyly. Oh god, that bashful smile is so  _ so  _ cute. Kyungsoo’s heart is going to give out on him at this rate. 

Jongin looks at the baby in front of him fondly, mumbling. “I still stuck around every day to see if you’d show up.”

Kyungsoo freezes, unsure if he heard correctly. 

There are always scenes in those cheesy romances Kyungsoo’s mother always fawns about. Moments where the crush finally admits to the main character that they indeed like them back, and both are disgustingly sweet together afterwards. 

For Kyungsoo, he realizes this is  _ his _ cheesy moment. Only the one thing disgustingly sweet about this, is the hungry giraffes salivating all over his hands. But Kyungsoo is able to ignore that.

Especially with the way Jongin smiles at him with hope shining in his eyes, his gaze so deep and warm and Kyungsoo feels like swooning. 

Kyungsoo swallows and somehow manages to keep it somewhat together, unable to stop the stupid grin from spreading on his face. “You waited for me?”

Jongin nods, wiping his hands on his swim trunks. He fully faces Kyungsoo now, eyes bright. “What would you say to meeting up on our day off?”

“Y-Yeah, that would be great. What days do you have off?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jongin shakes his head. “I can trade shows with my coworkers. What day are you free?”

Kyungsoo’s heart is racing at this point, and he struggles to think properly. “Uh… It’s usually very slow on Mondays so I have the day off. Wendy covers the entire shift at the gift shop so...”

Jongin thinks, like he’s mentally rearranging his schedule. He nods though, lightly clapping his hands together. “It’s a date then.”

A date.

A date with Kim Jongin.

Kyungsoo’s brain short circuits, not even hearing Jongin talking about how he’ll make sure he has the day off too. He playfully waves his hand in front of Kyungsoo’s face though, giggling to himself when Kyungsoo comes to.

“So is that okay?” the dolphin trainer asks.

“Yeah!” Kyungsoo curses internally when his voice cracks. He can still hardly process any of this. “What did you want to do?”

“You said you’ve never been through the rest of the zoo right?” Jongin smiles, stepping a little closer in excitement. “Well, I can give you a tour. Without all the heaps of annoying tourists, of course.”

One would think Kyungsoo would be tired of the zoo, that the last place on earth he would ever want to be on his day off is  _ at the zoo _ . But, God damn it, if Jongin wants to take him on a zoo date, then he’s going to be there.

A part of him is actually excited to share more moments like this together with the dolphin trainer. Seeing all of these beautiful animals and taking care of them together is special, and Kyungsoo finds it sweet how eager Jongin is to show him more of the zoo behind the scenes. 

“I’d love that, Jongin.” Kyungsoo bites his lip, looking up at the other man’s giddy expression.

Jongin eyes dart between his, expression as bright as the sun. “I’m glad.”

There’s silence between them again, only this time it makes Kyungsoo feel warm. They’re just standing there together, looking at each other like a couple of lovestruck idiots.

Kyungsoo is about to open his mouth, but there’s a high pitched whistling-like noise that causes them both to turn. The baby giraffe stomps in circles, looking up at the two of them expectantly.

“Was that?...”

“Yeah,” Jongin chuckles. “Giraffes can’t make many noises because they breathe a lot slower than normal animals. They don’t have enough air to do it.”

Kyungsoo makes a noise, watching the baby stomp again then stick out its tongue. Ah, Kyungsoo thinks. It’s still hungry.

Jongin doesn’t hesitate to take from the little food left over in the buckets. The baby looks satisfied as it chews on the lettuce. “That’s actually why they’re such slow moving animals. Their lungs are so big that they can’t run very well. They hyperventilate really easily.”

“Maybe I really am meant to be a giraffe.” Kyungsoo laughs along with Jongin, heart skipping a beat when Jongin playfully shoves him. Suddenly he feels something nipping at his hair, and he looks up to see both of the baby’s parents mouthing at it.

Kyungsoo releases an indignant squawk, trying to bat them away lightly. They’re stubborn though, and keep acting like they’re trying to eat each strand. 

The dolphin trainer gives a breathy laugh. “They rely on body language too.”

“Yeah?” Kyungsoo tries to back away, but they just nose at him again. He’s practically out of food, so they can’t still be hungry. “And what are they trying to tell me then?”

Jongin’s smile turns gentle, and his eyes fond. “I think they just really like you.”

Kyungsoo meets his eyes and he feels his heart melting.

Yes, there are currently two full sized giraffes eating his hair, and yes, his hand is covered in spit and bits of lettuce, but this is probably the best moment in his entire life. 

  
  


~

  
  


Kyungsoo tried convincing Jongin that it’s really fine, that he doesn’t have to walk back to the gift shop with him.

Jongin, however, disregards him completely and ends up returning to the little hut by the entrance of the park with him anyways. 

It’s unusually quiet, as in, there aren’t visitors coming in and out of the shop. And he certainly can’t hear children throwing tantrums, so that’s new. He narrows his eyes in suspicion as they walk closer to the door and he sees the ‘Closed’ sign hanging crookedly. 

“Guess there really was an emergency with that rhino if Minseok was so understaffed,” Jongin mumbles thoughtfully beside him, before shifting the ever slightest. Their shoulders touch and Kyungsoo looks towards him, almost getting blinded by that beautiful and excited smile. “He closed the shop.”

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo breathes out, absentmindedly nodding. He realizes, though, that Jongin is still looking at him with that excited smile just expanding on his pretty face. “So?”

“So that means you have the rest of the day off.” Kyungsoo only blinks when Jongin’s grin reaches its maximum blinding capacity. His eyebrow ticks suggestively, before he speaks up again. “I have a show in less than an hour. No conflicting schedules this time.”

Kyungsoo would be lying if he says he doesn’t feel the tinge of excitement warming his chest, especially at that rather pleased and satisfied look on Jongin’s face. 

“I-” 

“Great!” The dolphin trainer interrupts before he can even get two words out, giving him a quick wink. “I’ll see you there.” 

Kyungsoo’s brain is too slow to register the fact that Jongin is practically skipping away already. He doesn’t even get the chance to protest (not that he was going to) or even reply. 

He is simply left there, in front of the closed gift shop, in complete shock. 

Yet, he can’t help but smile as he watches Jongin’s tall, lean retreating figure, a spark waking up inside him and setting his entire body on fire. 

He raises a hand to put over his heart. He doesn’t think he can handle this much excitement in just one day. 

Even an hour later, as he’s settling into his seat in the bleachers of the Dolphin lagoon, he’s unbelievably happy. There are annoying kids and parents all around him, but everything is drowned out the moment he sees Jongin come on the small stage next to the dolphin’s tank. 

Jongin talks to the crowd, catching Kyungsoo’s eye and beaming at him like a ray of sunshine. 

When Jongin starts the show by making the dolphins wave at the crowd, Kyungsoo doesn’t miss the way the trainer throws yet another look towards him. He waves his hand lightly in his direction, and Kyungsoo tries to fight the grin that threatens to break out on his face. 

He miserably fails. 

  
  


~ 

  
  


Kyungsoo is awkwardly shifting in his spot, eyes wandering and shooting in all different directions anxiously. His fingers are fidgeting with the sleeves of his shirt, trying to straighten out invisible creases. 

He doesn’t think he’s spent this much time worrying over how he looks in a while. In fact, he doesn’t think he’s ever been this worried. Doesn’t his hair look weird? And his T-shirt just won’t stay nicely tucked into his jeans. 

The sigh freezes in his throat, however, and all these thoughts evaporate at the sight of the man walking towards him from the employee entrance of the zoo. 

It’s a rare sight to see Jongin in clothes that aren’t clinging tightly to his body like his neoprene suits, and Kyungsoo now remembers why he doesn’t mind. 

He forgets how to breathe for a few seconds.

Jongin is wearing a black shirt, making his already wide shoulders look even stronger, and his lean chest even more defined. There’s a red beanie resting on his fluffy, for once not wet, hair. His hands are inside the pockets of his shorts, but when he finally spots Kyungsoo, he raises an arm to wave at him excitedly before hurrying forward. 

“Hey,” Jongin says breathlessly, eyes taking in every inch of Kyungsoo. He tries not to flush under the attention, especially when the dolphin trainer gets a boyish smile. “You look good.”

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo says quietly, swallowing harshly and looking at Jongin’s simple, but yet deadly outfit. “You do too.”

Jongin smirks, his shoulder bumping with Kyungsoo’s. “I have to impress this pretty boy I asked on a date. Think he’ll approve?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes drop down to the black shirt subtly showing the other man’s body line while still hanging loosely from his figure. The dolphin trainer pushes his fluffy bangs from his eyes, seeming to like the way Kyungsoo is outwardly checking him out.

He feels heat immediately go to his cheeks. 

Oh he  _ definitely  _ approves. But rather than giving Jongin the satisfaction, he just playfully shoves at him. “Come on, Dolphin Boy. I want to see some animals.”

Jongin chuckles lightly at the nickname and Kyungsoo heaves a sigh of relief as they actually do start moving. He isn’t sure what the appropriate distance to keep from one another is, but he opts for barely touching Jongin’s hand. He thinks they’re already there. 

A loud shriek from the direction of the gift shop resounds around them and they both turn their heads in time to see an exasperated mom dragging out a whining kid. Kyungsoo’s smirk is thoughtful and somewhat entertained. It’s nice to have the day off work, to not worry about collapsing stuffed animal pyramids or broken mugs. Poor Wendy. 

When Jongin asks him how he spent the morning, Kyungsoo sort of blanks. He doesn’t really want to admit that he changed three outfits and kept pacing around his room, throwing anxious looks towards the clock. Instead, he settles for an awkward chuckle and a shrug.  _ I was just chilling _ , he lies. 

Jongin tells him then that he spent the entire morning thinking about their date and Kyungsoo chokes on the air he is breathing. 

After that, it seems to Kyungsoo that it’s somewhat easier to walk side by side with the dolphin trainer deeper into the park. Because he is actually convinced that Jongin really likes him. It makes his heart flutter in his chest. 

The zoo is huge. Much bigger than he had ever thought, and definitely much bigger than what he had always imagined after seeing the maps they give away in the gift shop. 

The first section he already knows - the giraffes are standing tall and he can see them leisurely strolling around the green fields leisurely. They seem unbothered by their presence, but the baby seems to perk up the moment he spots them. It gallops lightly to the edge of the enclosure, looking at them and stomping a little. There is a gap between the enclosure and the glass barrier where the public can view the animals, but Kyungsoo’s sure the baby giraffe would be trying to nose at them if it could.

Jongin giggles softly waving at it lightly as if it understands. “Sorry, little one. No snacks today.”

The baby giraffe looks at them like it’s offended, but both of them casually walk away after a few moments to see the other animals. Jongin pulls out a pamphlet as they walk along the path, coming up on the zebras.

The dolphin trainer shows him the map, explaining their African section is one of their largest. Jongin goes on to rattle off little facts here and there on the go from enclosure to enclosure, and Kyungsoo finds it helplessly adorable how passionate Jongin is about all of these animals.

“You really love them, don’t you?” Kyungsoo asks after Jongin explains that their elephants are expecting a baby girl some time soon. 

“Hm?”

“The animals. You just seem really happy when you’re around them.”

Jongin smiles, and Kyungsoo loves the blush that colors the other man’s cheeks. “Yeah. This is what I’ve always wanted to do.”

Kyungsoo smiles. “It’s really admirable.”

Jongin goes shy again, scratching at his neck like he’s nervous. “Just don’t get me talking about dolphins or whales. I’ll never shut up.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Kyungsoo says cheekily, loving the way their shoulders continue to brush.

The rest of the African section went by quickly. They run into Jongdae as they were leaving the lion enclosure after hoping to get a sneak peek at the lion cubs the caretaker never shuts up about. Jongdae’s eyes narrow at them, ignoring Jongin’s sweet smile and questions about the cubs and asking Kyungsoo how the pamphlet is coming along. Jongdae only starts screeching when Kyungsoo says he can't wait to put Chanyeol’s snakes on the front page, eliciting a light giggle from Jongin beside him.

It's hard to escape from him after that, but eventually they did. 

And boy, is Kyungsoo glad they did because Jongin keeps brushing his hand against his. He has to hold his breath when the other man gently grabs it and laces their fingers together.

Kyungsoo’s heart is about to go into cardiac arrest and he’s pretty sure his face is as pink as the flamingos they’re approaching right now, but he could die of happiness in this moment.

They’re both quiet except for Jongin’s little random facts about the animals, or Kyungsoo’s random off hand comments that have Jongin laughing to himself, until they hear two familiar voices ahead of them.

Both he and Jongin let go of each other’s hands the moment Baekhyun and Sehun come into sight, and he prays to whatever God out there that they didn’t see.

Luckily, the two are leading a group together, so they’re busy speaking about the animals behind them.

Kyungsoo is ready to beeline around the small crowd gathered there, but Jongin catches his arm. “Hold on. I’ve always kind of wondered if these two actually do their job.”

Thinking about it, Kyungsoo has kind of always wondered the same thing. He cracks up though, especially when Jongin leads him to stand behind the crowd so they wouldn’t be seen.

“And today we have the caretaker to these lovely reptiles. He’s our very own Steve Irwin, ladies and gentlemen.” Baekhyun gestures to Chanyeol, who is awkwardly standing there with a rather large python around his neck. Kyungsoo’s got to admit, despite everything, this is actually kinda cool.

Chanyeol frowns at the tour guide before smiling at the audience of partly fascinated and mostly frightened third-graders. He gestures to one of his coworkers who is holding a couple smaller snakes. “Here are a couple common snakes you guys may be more used to. This one on the right is Tom and the other is our newest snake to the zoo. Her name is Applesauce.”

A couple of the third graders giggle, looking entirely less horrified now. Kyungsoo smiles at how they hesitantly approach the animals.

“But this guy,” Chanyeol grins widely, gesturing to Baekhyun while holding the python around his neck. “He’s the biggest snake in the entire park. His name’s Baekhyun.”

No one in the crowd laughs except Kyungsoo and Jongin, and Baekhyun’s eyes narrow at them immediately. Jongin is keeling over from laughter, and Kyungsoo is no better.

“Hey, you two in the back. I don’t think you paid for this tour.”

“Tours are free,” Sehun helpfully supplies.

“What do you know?” Baekhyun snaps, the two of them lightly bickering as their tour group asks Chanyeol all kinds of questions about the reptiles. The caretaker’s answers are, unlike him, actually helpful.

It’s then that Jongin and Kyungsoo see their chance to run away, both deciding that’s  _ enough _ of those three interrupting their date. 

They take off down the walk ways, their laughs ringing throughout the park. Jongin’s hand is in his again, and they’re both out of breath by the time they run far enough away.

“You think they’re going to grill us tomorrow at lunch?”

“Absolutely,” Jongin says, eyes bright like he’s happy about that fact.

Kyungsoo is about to retort when Jongin suddenly gets a panicked look. The dolphin trainer pulls him to his chest, and it’s then that Kyungsoo hears a golf cart zoom by. He looks just in time to see Minseok screaming into his walkie talkie about goats on the loose in the petting zoo. He only has time to blink once before the head veterinarian takes a sharp turn and disappears out of sight.

Kyungsoo’s mouth parts in surprise, not even realizing that Jongin’s still very much holding on to him tightly, pressing him close to his chest. Instead, he wonders what idiot left the fence of the goats open.

But then he feels fingers sliding down his arms and his breath hitches again when he looks up, his face way too close to Jongin’s. His eyes are even more beautiful when he actually looks into them. Jongin’s smile is soft and sort of dazed as Kyungsoo slowly moves back. His fingers don’t drop from his arms, just slide down until he’s holding his hands again.

Kyungsoo is fully aware that tomorrow is going to be a long, torturous day of their friends and co-workers not letting them live after finding out they were on a date, but even so, Kyungsoo doesn’t really mind. 

Because this right here, having Jongin so close, holding on to him, seeing his gentle smile - that’s all worth it. 

  
  


~ 

  
  
  


Walking around the park proves to be physically exhausting - from the tropical section that has Kyungsoo sweating buckets, to the monkeys sector - it takes a lot of time.

The hours pass quickly as they talk to each other casually, the conversations flowing naturally. Jongin talks about his favourite books. Kyungsoo talks about his hobbies. Jongin asks him about his family, Kyungsoo is curious about his friends. They talk about everything they can think of - school, music, movies, food. Their mutual complaints about Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo is having a great time, especially when Jongin drags him over to the food court and insists on getting them some churros. Kyungsoo is pretty sure he starts seeing hearts floating around Jongin’s head, like a halo. 

But time really does pass quickly, and with a little frown, Kyungsoo notices that the sun is starting to set. That they walk past some empty enclosures. That the caretakers are slowly starting to bring the animals back inside for the night. 

The park is closing soon, and Kyungsoo almost sighs. That means he’ll also have to part ways with Jongin soon. 

The other man must have seen the sudden shift in his expressions, because instead of joining his pity party, he tugs on his hand lightly, fingers squeezing around his briefly. He’s smiling mischievously, as if he’s ready to let Kyungsoo in on some grand secret. 

“Come on,” Jongin urges and starts leading him forward. 

Kyungsoo eyes him curiously, letting Jongin guide him towards the marine section of the zoo. Soon, the Dolphin Lagoon comes into sight, but Jongin is bringing them away from the main entrance. There’s a small door on the side, and Kyungsoo gets a confused look until Jongin cheekily whips out a 24 hour access card and waves it around.

“Perks of being a caretaker.” Jongin releases a little ‘ _ hehe _ ’ as he lets Kyungsoo in, making sure the door is locked before leading him through the hallways. He still hasn’t let go of his hand, much to Kyungsoo’s satisfaction, and he relishes in the warmth of Jongin’s skin against his. 

They stop in front of lockers, and Jongin opens one of them and takes out a small duffle bag. He grabs two towels, eyes bright as he hands one to Kyungsoo. “Our Princess awaits.”

It takes a few moments for Kyungsoo’s brain to fully process what Jongin’s talking about. But eventually, he smiles as wide as he possibly can. 

He should be dreading having to be around the dolphin lagoon again, but now it’s different. 

Now, the lights are dimmed and the dolphins are lazily moving around in their pools without any splashing or commotion. Now there is a warm, calming atmosphere keeping Kyungsoo from overthinking every movement he makes in case he falls in again. Now Jongin is gently holding his waist as they walk, happiness practically radiating off of him as Kyungsoo walks by his side.

They stop when they come to another tank more towards the back. 

Princess slowly swims over, gently lifting her head from the water and making a nodding motion at Jongin. Jongin does it back to her eagerly and Kyungsoo covers his mouth to keep from outwardly cooing at the precious sight. 

“Here,” Jongin says, laying Kyungsoo’s towel down on the concrete floor. He lays his own directly next to it. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

Kyungsoo nods, slowly sitting down and scooting as close to the edge of the tank as he can. Princess is on her side, peeking at him with her mouth open a little. Kyungsoo gently puts out his hand like he had seen other trainers do during Jongin’s shows, holding it in a stiff high five position. 

Princess disappears under the water for a moment, coming back up and gently pressing her nose to Kyungsoo’s palm. 

Kyungsoo looks at her in awe, especially when she lazily leans to the side, almost like she’s expecting something. He thinks back to the numerous times he’s watched Jongin interact with her, taking a chance and leaning a little more over the tank so he can stroke her cheek.

It’s strange, but she feels smooth under Kyungsoo’s fingertips. She seems to like it as well, because she doesn’t move away in the slightest. Kyungsoo whispers little praises to her, feeling like maybe Jongin is rubbing off on him. Then again, maybe that’s not a bad thing.

Princess jerks a little, something catching her attention and Kyungsoo sits back as she starts swimming in excited little circles under the water. There are soft footsteps beside him, and he looks up to see Jongin giving him the softest look. He puts down the bucket in his hands and sits directly next to him on the ground, their thighs brushing. Kyungsoo instantly smells the fish coming from the bucket, but he’s too focused on Jongin to really care.

He chances leaning against the other man, giving a happy little sigh when Jongin leans into his touch too.

“She must remember you if she let you pet her like that,” Jongin starts, a proud tone to his voice. “She’s usually a little nervous when new people try to touch her.”

Kyungsoo smiles at the dolphin, especially when she stops swimming in circles and instead lifts her head to give a short whine at them. She makes a couple clicking noises and Jongin shakes his head.

“Oh poor baby,” he fake pouts, bringing the bucket a little closer. He shoots Kyungsoo a bit of an apologetic expression. “I know dead fish isn’t the best for a first date, but look at that face.”

Jongin gestures to Princess, who is holding her mouth open and waiting for treats. Kyungsoo chuckles, not even hesitating this time to reach in and grab a fish. “It’s okay. I’ve accepted I’ll probably permanently smell like fish when I’m around you.”

He throws the fish, and both of them watch as she happily catches it and disappears under water. Jongin hums, expression content as he watches her fin break the surface of the water again. “I’m sure she appreciates it.”

Kyungsoo snickers. “Hasn’t she already eaten anyway?”

Jongin looks down at him, smiling smugly.  _ Oh no,  _ he looks entirely too handsome this close- with his fluffy hair falling into his eyes and his lips plump and pulled into a little smirk. Kyungsoo really might die.

“You say that like you’ve never had a midnight snack before.”

There’s a beat of silence.

“Fair enough.”

Jongin chuckles, lifting another fish from the bucket and throwing it in when Princess asks for it. When Jongin relaxes again, he lets his arm rest around Kyungsoo, sighing. Kyungsoo looks at him again, thinking this is the most content he has ever seen the dolphin trainer.

He always seems happy when he visits Kyungsoo in the gift shop, but there is something about this moment that is just so infinitely special. 

Jongin glances down at him, and Kyungsoo instead looks at his own hands in his lap, licking his lips. 

“You know, I always meant to apologize to you. I was kind of rude the first time you came to the gift shop.” Kyungsoo’s voice is soft, just above a whisper as if he’s afraid to break the moment.

Jongin’s brows furrow, eyes darting around as if he’s trying to remember what the other man is talking about. His eyes widen a little when he seems to recall what Kyungsoo is referring to, warm laughter bubbling from his throat. “The whole ‘ _ Don’t you have fish to feed _ ’?”

Kyungsoo nods. “I really didn’t mean it the way it came out. I just… I sometimes speak but don’t think.” 

“I noticed,” he says, almost fondly. His smile turns sheepish. “It’s okay. Actually, you reminded me that day that I forgot to feed the actual fish so… thanks.”

Kyungsoo can’t tell if Jongin is just trying to make him feel better or not, but the soft, nervous laugh the other man gives makes Kyungsoo’s heart clench. He bites his lip to keep from smiling like an idiot as usual, but that seems to catch Jongin’s attention.

The dolphin trainer’s eyes glance down to Kyungsoo’s lips for a moment, and he swallows. He looks nervous, but too giddy to let that ruin it. Kyungsoo’s glad he’s not alone in this feeling.

“I’m really glad we did this today,” Jongin says sweetly, eyes sparkling under the dim lighting of the lagoon.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo answers. His chest constricts at how warm Jongin feels against him. “Thank you for showing me around all day. I had a lot of fun.”

In all honesty, he did. He never really was a huge fan of animals, but Jongin made it so engaging and he knew so much about each of the animals that he was practically like a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. It was sweet, and Kyungsoo may or may not have found himself asking more questions as they looked at each animal. He even made a promise to himself to walk around the park more often on his breaks instead of just trying to nap in the employee’s lounge. 

Jongin grin turn triumphant. “That makes me really happy to hear.”

They both fall into a comfortable silence, both of them watching Princess lazily swim around again like she had done when they first arrived. Kyungsoo thinks that Jongin must do this pretty often if she only expects two fish, and leaves them alone afterwards. It’s too suspicious considering how persistent she was being not even 10 minutes ago.

There are gentle splashes of water filling the small lagoon, but for the most part it is quiet. Kyungsoo hears Jongin’s little, soft intake of breath, though, and glances at him once again.

The other man’s arm tightens around him, and Jongin’s pretty brown eyes lock with his own as the dolphin trainer’s expression turns shy.

“Kyungsoo?” Jongin asks gently, licking his lips a little. Almost nervously. “Can I kiss you?”

Kyungsoo gives a little half smile, deciding to throw caution to the wind. He doesn’t even answer, just bringing his hand to Jongin’s cheek and lifting his head a little. Jongin meets him halfway in a soft, innocent kiss. 

One that has Kyungsoo’s breath hitching, and his heart expanding in his chest.

He feels warmth flood his entire being, and he doesn’t stop himself from smiling into the kiss. Jongin does the same, letting his thin fingers gently cup under Kyungsoo’s jaw. 

They both pull away, but let their foreheads rest against each other’s.

Jongin giggles softly, and it proves to be contagious because Kyungsoo is laughing along with him. 

Jongin hums, dropping his hand to Kyungsoo’s lap instead and taking his hand in his. Kyungsoo blushes when Jongin brings his hand to his lips as well, the dolphin trainer resting his soft cheek against it afterwards.

Kyungsoo closes his eyes for a moment, feeling like he’s flying. When he opens them again, he lays his head on Jongin’s shoulder, the both of them watching Princess lazily swim in her tank in front of them.

  
  


~

  
  


The following three weeks pass by relatively quickly. Kyungsoo supposes time really flies when one is genuinely having fun. 

Work in the gift shop seems less tedious than before, because he knows he has every single break to look forward to - he spends every free second he has with Jongin and the dolphin trainer comes to hang at the gift shop between his shows and the feeding hours. Kyungsoo appreciates it.

He truly cherishes those little moments, every single minute him and Jongin get to share. They usually stroll around the park hand in hand, or Kyungsoo walks over to the dolphin lagoon after he closes up the gift shop when his shift ends. He is always welcome there to share some more private moments with Jongin alone - the only witness to those deeper and more sensual kisses is Princess, and she seems to be very happy with that development. As far as Kyungsoo can tell, anyways, judging by her ticking screeches. 

Jongin tells him that once summer vacation ends he’ll be having less shifts in the dolphin lagoon for the shows. There won’t be too many shows anyways, with the colder seasons slowly approaching. He will have to juggle work with school, and so will Kyungsoo. 

At first, Kyungsoo thinks it’s going to mean less opportunities for them to meet up. Jongin, however, immediately refutes with excitement shining through in his eyes.  _ “We’ll get to go on actual dates _ ”, he says excitedly, grabbing Kyungsoo’s hands as he pulls him through the alleys in the African life section, “ _ We can go to the movies, and to some fancy restaurant. Maybe even an art gallery.”  _

Since that conversation, Kyungsoo has also been looking forward to that. Spending even more time with Jongin. Without being surrounded by screeching children and annoying tour guides. The thought alone makes him giddy every time he recalls Jongin’s bright smile in that moment.

It is quite a busy day at the zoo on that one fine Thursday, and Jongin is sitting behind the counter at the gift shop next to him, one neoprene covered thigh resting on top of the other. His hair is a little damp from his earlier show, and he smells like chlorine, and Kyungsoo just loves the whole disheveled surfer-boy vibe his  _ boyfriend  _ is giving off. 

Some children are bickering way too close to the pyramid with stuffed animals, and he is pretty sure some other kid is touching the T-shirts with melting ice cream on its little fingers, but Jongin’s hand is lazily resting on his waist as he works the cash register. He is squeezing him closer every now and then, and because of that everything is right with the world in Kyungsoo’s eyes. 

It’s a little crowded in the gift shop. Sehun and Baekhyun are discussing the most efficient tour routes as they wait for their groups to gather at the meeting point. Chanyeol had come in earlier, faking dizziness and saying a snake bit him. Kyungsoo fell for it for a total of five seconds, before the  _ stupid  _ caretaker’s mouth broke into a  _ stupid  _ grin. So goddamn  _ stupid _ . Jongdae is also there. Kyungsoo isn’t sure why he’s there, because he happened to arrive with Jongin, and Kyungsoo does have his priorities. He’s pretty sure he’s once again boasting about the baby lion cubs though. 

It’s already loud in the gift shop, and with all those coworkers crowding it even more, it gets stuffy too. Kyungsoo, however, is way too preoccupied with Jongin’s pretty smile and beautiful eyes to pay them much mind. 

But even now, time passes way too quickly when Jongin is around him, and before long he says Kyungsoo’s four most dreaded words: 

“I need to go,” Jongin says, fingers tightening around Kyungsoo as he pulls him closer to himself for a couple seconds, stealing the chance after a customer walks away. “I have to get ready for a show in half an hour.” 

Kyungsoo reluctantly nods, and Jongin just smiles sweetly at him, standing up from the chair. His body is lean and sculpted like a piece of art under the neoprene suit and Kyungsoo internally whines.  _ Don’t go _ , he thinks to himself,  _ you’re too hot to go _ . 

“I’ll see you later,” Jongin says instead, pushing their bodies together as he leans down to kiss him straight on the lips. It’s a chaste, pretty quick kiss - he can’t really linger too long. Not with all the kids in the shop. Not with  _ Baekhyun  _ in the shop. But he kisses him, and it’s perfect, and Kyungsoo feels giddy when Jongin’s fingers slide off him slowly and he shines him the most beautiful smile in the history of smiles. 

He is completely and utterly smitten as Jongin leans down one more time, to press a quick peck on the tip of his nose. It leaves Kyungsoo giggling when the dolphin trainer turns on his heel and starts walking away. Kyungsoo doesn’t look away from his retreating form until those broad shoulders and defined back (and butt) muscles disappear from his sight. 

It’s almost ominous.

The way he turns his attention back to the store now that Jongin isn’t there to distract him in the best way possible and sees all his friends staring at him. His smile drops immediately, especially at the sight of Sehun’s slightly raised eyebrows. Now  _ that’s  _ alarming.

“I am willing to bet big money that Jongin’s favourite sex position is doggy style,” Baekhyun is the first to speak, a Cheshire grin stretching his lips mischievously. Jongdae is the only one sensible enough to shush him because “ _ there are children here, Byun _ ”. 

“Dude,” Chanyeol says in between bites of chips. He looks ready to reprimand him too. “Jongin’s  _ the  _ fish guy. It’s probably starfish.” 

Kyungsoo, however, can already feel his previous smile morphing into an annoyed and somewhat deadly glare. He catches Baekhyun’s gaze before the guide can say something stupid again, and he sees him stiffen a little. 

Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, and Baekhyun gulps. Probably his sense of self preservation is finally awakening, when he realizes he’s about 3 seconds away from getting his ass beat. 

“What did you say?” Kyungsoo asks, the hostile intent audible in every beat of his question. 

Baekhyun makes sure to move away from him, “Nothing.” 

Kyungsoo is almost grateful when Sehun changes the subject to the pamphlets. When he says he met with Minseok earlier during the day and they came up. That with the new season coming they’d probably need them soon. 

Kyungsoo almost flinches, as he leans down to pick up the few test versions he printed out. Before he can even explain, the little pamphlet is snatched out of his fingers viciously.

“I knew it,” Jongdae’s whining is audible in his voice as he stares down at the cover of the pamphlet. It’s Jongin, feeding Princess. It’s a beautiful shot, probably the best picture Kyungsoo has ever taken in his entire life. It  _ deserves  _ the front page. “I knew I should have asked Kyungsoo out first. This is biased media.” 

Kyungsoo is about to counter that statement, but Jongdae’s grumpy expression completely fades away when he opens the pamphlet and sees one of his little lion cubs on the next page. His face is completely cropped out of the photo, but those are  _ definitely  _ his hands holding up the baby lion. 

“ _ Oh my God _ , I’m on the pamphlet! Guys, look!” Kyungsoo would never admit, but the happiness is Jongdae’s voice is  _ almost  _ endearing. His grin is satisfied, in a partially malicious way, when he shoves the pamphlet in Chanyeol’s face. “ _ Eat shit _ .”

Kyungsoo scoffs, in the same time Baekhyun lets out a breath.

“You can’t even see his goddamn face,” the guide tells Sehun as he shows him the pamphlet. He shakes his head. “I can’t believe this. We have Nick from Zootopia  _ and  _ Mike Wazowski working for out park. Next week I’ll put on a blond wig and I’ll expect you all to call me Elza.”

There is no reaction to that statement, as they pass the pamphlet around. Baekhyun just shifts from one leg to another.

“No, really,” he says, sounding more than a little disgruntled. “A kid’s having a Frozen themed birthday party and I have to dress up as Elza.”

Kyungsoo scoffs yet again, in the same time Sehun barks out a laugh.

“You won’t be able to pull off an Elza even if you tried,” the other guide says, earning himself a sharp look from Baekhyun.

He looks equal parts embarrassed and ready to fight.

“What the fuck is  _ that  _ supposed to mean?” 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, tuning out the bickering that follows from all sides of the gift shop. 

He pretends not to see the way Sehun accidentally knocks over the animal pyramid while arguing with Baekhyun, and then proceeding to act like it wasn’t him. But Kyungsoo sees him, and oh, he  _ will  _ pay for it. It took Kyungsoo twenty minutes to build that. 

But not now.

Now, he just stares down at the pamphlet that’s back on the counter, and at Jongin smiling beautifully in the picture. He feels his heart fluttering in his chest as he throws a look towards the clock. 

Yes. Just two more hours and then Jongin is all his. 

  
  


~

  
  
  


Kyungsoo’s head is on fire when he finally closes up the gift shop. The loud laughter and constant bickering of his friends is echoing in his mind, and he is  _ so  _ tired. 

But suddenly, there are two hands wrapping around him from behind as he reaches the exit of the zoo, almost sweeping him off his feet as they twirl him around. 

Kyungsoo’s already smiling, even before he completely turns around to face Jongin. His boyfriend doesn’t even wait for a greeting before leaning down to kiss him. 

His lips are soft against his, warm and gentle, and so sweet that they have Kyungsoo’s entire world shaking when they lock together with his and move lazily. Languidly. Enjoying every single second of this moment, making the best of it. 

Jongin’s hair is still a little damp, droplets of water falling on Kyungsoo’s cheeks as they kiss, and Kyungsoo almost laughs in the kiss when a drop trickles down his skin. It almost tickles. 

He pushes Jongin away playfully when he’s out of breath, chest heaving up and down. The dolphin trainer does step back, an expression just as dazed spreading on his beautiful face. Kyungsoo’s fingers slide down from his shoulders to his lean chest, over the soft fabric of a fresh shirt. 

“You smell like fish.”

Jongin just grins at him, and pulls him closer in a hug. 

“But you like it.”

“I do,” Kyungsoo says, laughing a little at himself. Jongin grins down at him, hands still wrapped around his waist. They both have to go, but neither of them want to. 

There’s a small beat of silence, and Kyungsoo purses his lips.

“What you’ve mentioned before, about us going on more dates.” Kyungsoo takes in Jongin’s pretty brown eyes and glowing, caramel skin under the dim lighting of the sunset around them. He can’t help but to melt. “I’m excited for dates where it’s just the two of us. No giraffes, no dolphins. No Baekhyun to make offhand jokes about Chanyeol and his reptiles. No Jongdae screaming about his lions. No Minseok nearly running us over with his golf cart. Just  _ us _ .”

Jongin grins wide, reaching down to hold both of his hands, as they start walking away from the zoo. “But where’s the fun in that?”

**Author's Note:**

> Sam: Jongin in wet swim trunks ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Sara: I'm so happy to finally be writing a fic with Sam T^T We have so many ideas, and this is one we started writing a very long time ago and I'm just so EXCITED to share everything that we have in mind~ Also. Yes. Jongin in wet swim trunks ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Talk to us on twitter: @kairousels @jongnugget


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